Dave Fondren is a man of many trades.

One of the region’s younger artisan blacksmiths through his company, Lonely Crow Forge, Fondren, 30, recently started a moving service and is setting up a pressure-washing company to help support himself, his son, Oberon, and his passion.

Originally from Olympia, Washington, Fondren grew up an Army brat moving around the U.S., from New York and Texas to New Mexico and Alaska. Since his teenage years, he has mostly lived along the lower Columbia River.

Fondren isn’t shy about the struggles he and his family have gone through with drugs. At 13, he was introduced to methamphetamine by his parents and didn’t kick the habit until several years later, after his niece was born, he said. While his father instilled a hardworking spirit, he was never allowed to do anything and often put down by his parents. He said he was buoyed by friends.

“By the time I had the opportunity, I wanted to learn all the things,” he said.

Fondren has held several odd jobs since he was a teenager. He worked as a shop hand around Clatskanie and started learning construction, welding and mechanical work. He farmed potatoes and helped other people start their crops.

“Farming is what drove me to be a blacksmith, because I was a pretty proficient welder,” he said. “My tractor bucket became more welds than bucket, and I realized I needed to learn how to make tools.”

Fondren met the late Dave Curl, a locally famous blacksmith, at Fort George Brewery and mentioned his do-it-yourself lessons beating up railroad spikes. Curl eventually took Fondren on as an apprentice.

“He was the first guy to put a hammer in my hand and show me what to do with it,” Fondren said.

Fondren recently held a fundraiser for DeWitt Brazelton, another local blacksmith and mentor who is recovering from partial paralysis. Fondren credits Brazelton with helping him during hard times and providing much of the equipment he’s used to start Lonely Crow Forge.

Fondren is busy building Lonely Crow’s visibility and his inventory of fire pokers, bottle openers, pendants, knives, hatchets, custom orders and other products. He sells his work online, at markets and at Terra Stones in downtown Astoria. He will be a featured pop-up artist at Vintage Hardware in January.

To support his blacksmithing, Fondren recently started Dave’s Dump Service, using his truck to haul away or move people’s stuff. He is also setting up Pacific Northwest Pressure Washing. His ultimate goal, he said, is to be able to support himself and his son while remaining self-employed.

“I’m trying to start up some businesses I think the area needs, unfilled markets, niches I guess,” he said. “The whole town could use a good pressure washing. Driving around day to day, I see people with stuff that they could probably used hauled off. Anything to help the community.”